THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE IS SUPPORTED BY: 

Back to the review page

PRE-GAME

On the day that Frank Castle found his family brutally murdered, a part of his soul died along with them.

Criminals, murders and the scum of the Earth walk freely among the innocents of society, escaping capture and making a mockery of our corrupt and broken judicial system. There is one name however that sends a collective shiver down the spine of the criminal underworld. Someone who lost everything they ever had and now knows nothing but vengeance and retribution. He possesses no remorse and his judgment is swift.

They say his name used to be Frank Castle, yet that isn't entirely true. Frank Castle died along with his family. 

You can call him The Punisher.

EYE-SPY

THE HOOK: When I think of The Punisher, I think of a violent and bloody vigilante out for revenge. Apparently Volition took what I thought, doused it in gallons of blood, torture and empty shell casings and created something that would cause the ESRB to implode upon contact.

HOW IT LOOKS AND FEELS: Don't expect to see any of your favorite stars from The Punisher movie rendered in the digital. This game is based on the comics and it captures the grisly and dank atmosphere present within its pages in appropriate detail. Nothing in Frank Castle's life is bright and cheery, nor is nothing in this game. While it does sport a fairly diverse range of colors, there is always the underlying feeling that these walls would look a little bit better with a few bullet holes and blood swathes. Textures are sharp and objects, while largely static and unmovable, litter the areas to provide the appropriate detail. It's unlikely you'll see the same hallway twice...or at least that it will look as clean as it did when you first walked in. Some of the levels aren't as inventive or original as I would have liked (yes, there is a level at the docks and in a giant mansion) but a few, such as your romp through the jungle, are a refreshing break.

Character models, in a generalized sense, show a very nice amount of complexity when it comes to polygon count. There isn't a whole lot of variation in bad guys however and you'll likely often be busting the head of someone who seems to have an irregularly large number of twin brothers. It's not all that distracting, but it would be nice to have seen a bit more of a diverse mixture. Main characters, those pivotal to the plot such as allies and villains, and The Punisher in particular, fare much better. You can almost see the anger and rage in the wrinkles on Frank Castle's forehead. With his signature skull t-shirt, you'll go through quite a few costume changes over the course of the game.

Controls are tight and decidedly responsive. Grabbing enemies, quick kills, defensive rolls and dives and weapon changes are all little more then a single button press respectively. A little skill is actually involved in torturing enemies as well. When you grab a bad guy and decide that it's time he told you his life story, a bar will appear in the corner of the screen showing the level of "influence" your putting on an enemy (whether that "influence" is holding a gun to their head or threatening to throw them into a wood chipper is up to you). Most tortures require moving the analog stick forward and backwards until bar moves up enough to scare the enemy. Hold the bar in a certain breaking zone for three seconds and the bad guy will spill their guts, in which case you get a few points and some information. Go to far however and you end up killing the guy, which in some cases means they'll spill their guts again....just not in a very pleasant and clean way.

HOW IT SOUNDS: Let's all hear it for Tom Jane! He did a pretty good job in the movie portraying the Punisher, but he really shines in this game. With just the right mix of sarcasm, anger and intelligence he has provided a character voice that will just bring a smile to your face. From now on, Tom Jane is the only guy who can be The Punisher in my mind. Oh yeah, all those other people in the game do a good job too...whoever they are. No, actually the supporting does an excellent job as well. Main characters are all just over the top enough to keep you grounded in the comic book world the game is based off of.

You should probably get used to the gurgling liquid sound of throats being cut and the blood curdling screams of a villain being thrown into a car crusher. The sound effects in The Punisher are not only effective; they're also a bit disturbing at times. You'll flinch the first time you quick kill someone by burying a kitchen knife three-quarters of the way into their skull, I guarantee it.

The musical score initially shows high promise in the Apartment screen (where you choose your missions and weapon loadouts) with a very rousing and moody Punisher anthem. Dark and vibrant with a very military/vigilante feel to it. However, you really won't notice the background music all that much in other portions of the game. While it is well done, it doesn't present itself well enough over the constant hail of gunfire and explosions. Shame really as there are moments where a nice soundtrack could have led to some truly epic feeling firefights.

EXTRAS: The Punisher is loaded with stuff to unlock and begs to be replayed multiple times. You can earn medals (Bronze, Silver or Gold) throughout missions based on your performance. Get enough points and you unlock goodies like concept art or comic book covers.

CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE: Holy crap, these cinemas rock! The Punisher movie would have been ten times better had it resembled the CG rendered cut-scenes in this game. You're also free to review them at any time from the main menu. This makes me a very happy man.

BEST PLAYER: Umm...lemme think for a second. The Punisher. Though I suppose I could make choice on which outfit you get wear in the game is the best. I mean, he looks great in his trademark black leather overcoat, but it's hard not to recognize the appeal of jungle camouflage. I could make that decision, but I won't.

CHEAT CODE YOU NEED: Create a new profile name "V Pirate" and you'll have everything (except the upgrades) unlocked. Have fun with all those comic book covers.

CHEAT CODE YOU WANT: A way to disable the black and white effect that covers the screen during the gruesome special interrogation kills!

OH MAN! MOMENT: Let's get this out of the way right now; The Punisher is not a difficult game. Frank can take more bullets then Iron Man and his health replenishes a little whenever he successfully breaks an enemy in torture or enters "slaughter mode". You won't have a problem with the game, trust me.

GLITCH ITCH: Nary a game stopping glitch in sight. You'll get the occasional confused A.I. or bad guy shooting you through a wall, but those moments are rare at best.

FAN SERVICE: This game is a gold mine for fans of the comic books. Garth Ennis and Jimmy Palmiotti have provided an original story that melds year’s worth of some of the best Punisher moments into a single, continuous timeline. You'll get to fight classic villains like The Russian and Bullseye and fight alongside allies like Nick Fury. It's a gold mine Jerry, a gold mine!

END GAME:

I feel so terribly bad for liking this game. It epitomizes every single thing that child watchdog groups and violence in the digital media organizations latch onto with grasping claws. The Punisher is unapologetically extreme, merciless and savage; exactly what the source material calls for! Remember people, we're dealing with the comic book Punisher here. He is not a nice person and no matter how you look at it, there is no way a game that stays faithful to the franchise could do without the violence.

I should take a moment to discuss the pros and cons of the torture system implemented in the game. First off, I enjoy it immensely. You will get used to the torture bar pretty quickly and thus the challenge wanes slightly as the game goes on, but it's nice to see that there is more interaction present then just pressing a button. Some of the tortures are very original and inventive as well. I don't believe I can think of any other game that allowed me to threaten a villain over a vat of chrome. Besides the occasional special interrogation zones (which are scattered throughout the levels and usually provide the most original torture methods) the Punisher has four basic interrogation types at his disposal. You'll use them a lot and they can get a bit old, but I still had fun with them.

I mentioned the black and white effect used to deaden the special interrogation kills in the game. These are not only some of the most imaginative kills you can perform; they’re also one of the main selling points of the game! Thanks to the fact that they're so brutal, Volition implemented the monotone filter in, what I assume, was a move to avoid the profit-killing Adults Only rating that the ESRB can dish out. It's distracting, out of place and a serious letdown. Keep in mind, the game still provides the definition of gory, violent action and it more then earns its Mature rating but the self-censorship is disappointing.

That said, the interrogations and special kills and tortures are not the entirety of the game. These are all overlaid on top of a basic run-and-gun shoot everything that moves action game. Every level is little more then a linear path of carnage. Start at point A, end at point B, and ensure there is enough blood to keep the janitor busy for years. Don't get me wrong, this is a very well done action game with tight controls and great graphics, and there is never a shortage of fleshy meat sacks just begging to be filled with lead. However, if it weren't for the extensive collection of weapons and occasional bloodbath interrogation zone it would get very old, very fast. This is not a game of overwhelming variety.

The enemy A.I. seems to be moving along an alternating analog line. There are peaks of intelligent lucidity where bad guys will take cover behind pillars and boxes, shooting around corners and doing their best to avoid becoming close acquaintances with your bullets. However these moments are quickly followed by lows of indescribable idiocy. It's not uncommon to drop a bad guy with a sniper rifle shot while all his buddies simply stand around doing nothing, even though they were staring right at him! Either grunts are extremely susceptible to fits of narcolepsy or they are just imbeciles.

I'm extremely glad Volition went the dark route with the Punisher. It would have been far too easy to simply turn this into an over the top comic book action game with little to no thought behind it. With the disturbingly satisfying torture/interrogation system and arcade style point scoring, you'll definitely have incentive to replay it a few times. While not perfect in every aspect, you will be able to find enough senseless violence and action to keep you glued to your television. Who knows, you may just come out of it with a deeper respect for safety around equipment like drill presses and table saws.

Return to Top

Back to the Review Page